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Voting in non-presidential years affects people more than voting for president, a local election official says
YOUNGSTOWN
For traditionalists, today is Election Day, even though voters have been casting ballots since Sept. 30.
While overall turnout is expected to be poor, election officials say voting in nonpresidential years is more important than casting ballots every four years for the highest elected office in the land.
“People get hyped up about voting in presidential elections, but these are the election years that affect you the most,” said Adam Booth, Columbiana County Board of Elections director. “Ballots with statewide offices, tax levies and odd-year elections with school board members and local issues have greater impact on people.”
Secretary of State Jon Husted said a few days ago at a Republican rally in Youngstown: “Every single person can make a difference. You don’t want to wake up Wednesday morning and find out something you really cared about didn’t win or somebody that you just don’t think was up to the job” was elected because you didn’t vote.
There were 43 races last year in Ohio decided by one vote, he said.
“Every election cycle, there’s a surprise,” Husted said.
Those wanting to vote today who aren’t sure about their polling locations can check by either calling their county board of elections office or checking the home pages of the websites of those boards.
In Mahoning County, the phone number is 330-783-2474 and the web address is: vote.mahoningcountyoh.gov/
In Trumbull County, the phone number is 330-369-4050 and the website is: www.electionohio.com/trumbull/
In Columbiana County, the phone number is 330-424-1448 and the website is: www.columbianaboe.org/
Also, call the board at those phone numbers to report voting irregularities.
Though not common, certain irregularities come up, election officials say.
“Over the years, the biggest problems have been election observers talking to voters in polling locations, and people getting too close to polling locations,” though neither happens frequently, said Joyce Kale-Pesta, Mahoning elections director.
The law is no politicking within 100 feet of polling locations, and flags are to be posted at each location indicating that distance.
In Trumbull County, “sometimes we get complaints that people are moving the flags and getting closer than 100 feet,” said Jodi F. Dibble, its deputy elections director. “We have people who drive around to the polling locations around the county checking polling locations. But we don’t have a lot of problems with voting irregularities.”
A few times in Mahoning County, voters put their blank ballots into the machines that register their votes instead of filling them out, Kale-Pesta said.
“Once a ballot is deposited in the machine, it cannot be removed and that ballot isn’t counted,” she said. “A few people think the machine is going to vote for them.”
Overall turnout is expected to be 40 percent in the Mahoning Valley. There are about 378,000 registered voters in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties combined. If the turnout prediction is correct, about 151,000 will cast ballots in this election.
About 39,000 people already voted in the three counties.
With the close of early voting Monday, about 20,000 people, including about 4,000 in person at the board of elections, voted in Mahoning County before today. There were 589 who voted early in person this Saturday and Sunday combined.
In Trumbull, about 14,000, including about 3,200 in person at the board, voted early. Between Saturday and Sunday, 364 voted in person at the board.
In Columbiana, about 5,000 voters, including about 700 in person, voted early. Only 46 voted this past Saturday and Sunday.
Those who voted by mail and had their ballot postmarked Monday will have their vote counted if it arrived at county boards of elections by Nov. 14.
“Voters cannot drop them off at their polling locations” today to have them included in the count, Booth said.